Wound or Plain 3rd?

[Sky65]

Curious what type of third string you all are using and why. Wound or plain? I'm new to electric guitars and my acoustics always used a wound third. I have a Korina SC SE with Dragon I pups.

Thanks
Tom

 

[JMintzer]

On solid body electric, (9-10 gauge strings), I use a plain 3rd.

On hollowbodies (especially w/a piezo), I use a set of D'Addario 10's w/a wound 3rd...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

The plain! boss, the plain!

 

[jimistephen]

Depends on how low you plan on tuning, if you go to low you could try the wound G. some people like it. Other than that go with plain.

 

[Rider1260]

If you want to beef up you mids than try a wound 3rd
For years I was a big fan of Jazz Lite sets 11-52 with a wound 3rd on Strats
Hell on you hands but huge sound for me.

 

[gush]

Plain for me. 10-46 tuned down 1/2 step. I keep one guitar down full step but still use plain third.

 

[Sky65]

Thanks for the replies! I'm still getting used to an el.electric solid body and just using standard tuning right now. Plain it is.

Tom

 

[Herr Squid]

One of the best things about playing electric guitar is bending the strings! This is very different from acoustic...

A wound G string just doesn't bend right. You want a plain G if you're really playing electric.

 

[Sky65]

One of the best things about playing electric guitar is bending the strings! This is very different from acoustic...

A wound G string just doesn't bend right. You want a plain G if you're really playing electric.

I'm working on that. I"m using PRS 10s right now. Feels good except the 5th and 6th strings bend noticeably easier than the the rest. Especially 6th. I'm thinking want heavier than standard strings for them. Can you buy individual PRS strings?

Tom

 

[jfine]

If you plan on bending much, a plain 3rd is the way to go. I've used .010"-.046" sets for years, with the normal .017" G, but it does feel a bit stiffer than the others. I guess I'm just used to it after all these years! Albert Lee uses a .015" G--I may have to try that sometime, but I suspect I'd overbend it like crazy! I'm left-handed anyway, although I play right-handed, so my left hand is pretty strong. When I was a teenager in the mid-1960's, before I discovered light-gauge strings, I was trying (and failing) to bend a G string that must have been about a .026" wound, like you'd have on an acoustic, so I was building up strength and didn't know it. I'll never forget, thinking that if "Slinky" was good, "Extra Super Slinky" had to be even better--and I couldn't play those at all; I felt like I was playing on angel-hair pasta.
Tom--if you feel that you've got to have heavier strings for your 5th and 6th, you might try a light-top-heavy-bottom set--usually .010" on top to .052" or .054" on the bottom. I don't know if PRS offers that gauge, but D'Addario (who make PRS strings) do, and so do plenty of others. Make sure your neck will handle the unbalanced tension, though--some won't. Back in the early-'70's, I twisted the neck on my '67 Gibson ES-345 by repeated use of that set. I'd recommend that you try to get used to a regular .010"-.046" set if you can.

 

[rungles]

Plain for me, on my electrics at least. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10's have always been 'my' strings. I've tried others over the years just out of curiosity but have always gone back to my faithful friends.

 

[HighGain510]

Another vote for plain 3rd for me! I never liked the wound 3rd that comes stock on the Hollowbody model, some guys claim the piezo sounds better with the wound 3rd, I don't find it makes a substantial difference in tone (that tone is mostly derived from the piezo preamp anyway...). I bend a lot and find the wound G just gets in the way, much easier to bend the plain strings so I use the DGT set on my hollowbody and love how they sound and feel!!

 

[Sky65]

If you plan on bending much, a plain 3rd is the way to go. I've used .010"-.046" sets for years, with the normal .017" G, but it does feel a bit stiffer than the others. I guess I'm just used to it after all these years! Albert Lee uses a .015" G--I may have to try that sometime, but I suspect I'd overbend it like crazy! I'm left-handed anyway, although I play right-handed, so my left hand is pretty strong. When I was a teenager in the mid-1960's, before I discovered light-gauge strings, I was trying (and failing) to bend a G string that must have been about a .026" wound, like you'd have on an acoustic, so I was building up strength and didn't know it. I'll never forget, thinking that if "Slinky" was good, "Extra Super Slinky" had to be even better--and I couldn't play those at all; I felt like I was playing on angel-hair pasta.
Tom--if you feel that you've got to have heavier strings for your 5th and 6th, you might try a light-top-heavy-bottom set--usually .010" on top to .052" or .054" on the bottom. I don't know if PRS offers that gauge, but D'Addario (who make PRS strings) do, and so do plenty of others. Make sure your neck will handle the unbalanced tension, though--some won't. Back in the early-'70's, I twisted the neck on my '67 Gibson ES-345 by repeated use of that set. I'd recommend that you try to get used to a regular .010"-.046" set if you can.

It's weird. Just feels like the same pressure used to bend 1-4, when applied to 5&6, the strings bend much farther if that makes sense. Perhaps it is my poor technique but I find I am constantly pushing 6 off the neck.

 

[Herr Squid]

On solid body electric, (9-10 gauge strings), I use a plain 3rd.

On hollowbodies (especially w/a piezo), I use a set of D'Addario 10's w/a wound 3rd...

Hmm.. I just realized I was talking about 11's with a wound G, and that's one of the stiffest strings I've run across. Maybe the one in a set of 10's is more reasonable.

It's weird. Just feels like the same pressure used to bend 1-4, when applied to 5&6, the strings bend much farther if that makes sense. Perhaps it is my poor technique but I find I am constantly pushing 6 off the neck.

If you're used to acoustic, yeah, those strings will be really easy to push around. The tension is probably not very even across the strings, and I can see the 5 & 6 strings seeming pretty floppy.